March for Babies: Help build a brighter future for all

March of Dimes is leading the fight to help mothers and babies overcome this crisis. You can help too.

Author:
Kristen Berset-Harris

Published:
3:50 PM EDT May 1, 2019

Updated:
4:01 PM EDT May 1, 2019

Did you know that currently, the U.S. is the most dangerous developed nation in which to have a baby and Washington, D.C. has among the worst maternal mortality rates in the country?

This is the news shared by March of Dimes CEO & President Stacey Stewart and one of the reasons the organization launched their new campaign #UnspokenStories.

Stacey says the United States is in the midst of a maternal health crisis with over 380,000 babies being born prematurely each year, as well as 50,000 women experiencing life-threatening complications as a results of pregnancy and childbirth.

Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy or delivery complications than white women.

"The campaign sheds light on the urgent health crises moms and babies face in America through the voices of those too often silenced or hidden in the shadows of the epidemic."

Unspoken aims to show the urgent need to de-stigmatize the notions around the maternal and child health crisis and that people are not alone in their experiences.

March of Dimes will also have storytelling booths in Los Angeles, Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago and Birmingham, Alabama - during its upcoming March for Babies marches - where marchers can share their stories in whatever form it takes without shame or judgement.

If you would like to participate in a March for Babies, your support and funds raised goes to help expand programs, educate professionals, fund research that can save lives and you help build a brighter future for all.